Boise Plans for FMB

[musicman2343]

Well, it looks like the final count is that 70 members of the FMB are traveling to Boise for the bowl game. Dr. Hayward managed to convince somebody to fill the rest of the seats on the plane and she was able to pick 11 more people. Band will rehearse on the 27th, fly out the 28th and rehearse that night and the next morning. Looks like we're also going to get to do some snow tubing the afternoon of the 29th. It's shaping up to be a really nice trip! Still unfortunate that not everybody can go though.
Definitely looking forward to the trip and watching the Falcons win a bowl game! Go Falcons!

[Class of 61]

Assuming that the group is still "marching" i.e. performing on the field, I wish there were some way to convey to a NATIONAL TV audience that, due to budget restraints, the entire BG band was unable to make the trip. Would hate for people to think that we have such a "small" band at a D-1 school.

[musicman2343]

Assuming that the group is still "marching" i.e. performing on the field, I wish there were some way to convey to a NATIONAL TV audience that, due to budget restraints, the entire BG band was unable to make the trip. Would hate for people to think that we have such a "small" band at a D-1 school.

We will be marching during pre-game and halftime. What I believe Dr. Hayward is trying to do is have the Humanitarian Bowl play a video of our normal down-field pre-game formation (Fight Song) on the huge video board at the stadium. No idea how far she has gotten, but that would at least show our full band. Then the 70 member band going would play the Alma Mater live. I would assume there would be some way to get the broadcasters of the game to say that it isn't the full band on the air.

[musicman2343]

Well, the band leaves for Boise in about 30 minutes. We spent 7 hours rehearsing yesterday and put together a kick-AZZ show with the 70 people we have! It should be pretty amazing! We'll get there about 6pm MST and have a rehearsal with the UI band and the high school honor band for the pregame show which will be all three bands playing a patriotic piece.
Also, in response to the last question, Dr. Hayward did manage to get the bowl people to play a video of the entire band during pre-game. We will be marching across the field to a video of the Fight Song and then playing Ay-Ziggy-Zoomba and the Alma Mater live. Should be a pretty awesome show!

Go Falcons!

[VandalHskrJulie]

Hope you guys had a good time at the Bowl game! My son, who is a freshman in the Vandal Marching Band, had great things to say about your band! (But of course, everyone knows that band students are the greatest! )

I'm sorry that the entire band wasn't able to go. I just don't understand why schools don't see how valuable marching bands are to football games....I was horrified to learn that my own school (Univ. of Nebraska) did NOT send any of their band to the game and blamed it on the blizzard.

Anyway, hope you had a good time with the Vandal Marching Band!

[SaxyIrishTenor]

Hope you guys had a good time at the Bowl game! My son, who is a freshman in the Vandal Marching Band, had great things to say about your band! (But of course, everyone knows that band students are the greatest! )

I'm sorry that the entire band wasn't able to go. I just don't understand why schools don't see how valuable marching bands are to football games....I was horrified to learn that my own school (Univ. of Nebraska) did NOT send any of their band to the game and blamed it on the blizzard.

Anyway, hope you had a good time with the Vandal Marching Band!

If it makes you feel any better, I'm just outside of Omaha and TRUST ME - that storm was a bitch! (Both of them. lol But especially the second one.) They are STILL digging out. Some roads are STILL impassable.

[musicman2343]

VandalHskrJulie:

Yeah, we had a fun time hanging out with the Vandal Marching Band. They had a lot of class and were fun to watch during the game. Right before we did the "Battle of the Bands" our director warned us (so as not to shock us too badly) that your tubas wear skirts I think it actually looks pretty good and switches things up a bit.

It's a shame that our entire band couldn't go, but with our university's budget crisis, it wasn't possible. The university set out a budget of $250,000 for the whole bowl game and it would have cost that much to send our 240 member band. It was nice that they could squeeze the funds for 70 of us. It was a good way for me to end my senior year. Wish we could have held the win, but oh well... There are moments I will remember over my four years and this trip (plus learning a show in 7 hours before leaving on the trip) will be near the top of them.

[realmenskip]

actually i would have to argue Anthony. The skirts would have looked good except they werent anywhere near the same length and the height of the person didnt affect it. there were taller people with skirts longer than the shorter people. But the trad is young so we'll see if it changes

[musicman2343]

I will agree in the fact that the skirts weren't the length they should have been for everyone; but overall, it was an interesting concept.

[Class of 61]

Out of curiousity, did they>>>> mention that entire BGSU band was unable to attend...and, did they run our entry onto the field on the video board, as you'd indicated they were hopefully going to do?
Wish we could've gone, but I honestly couldn't justify over $2000 for a 3 day stay.. the airfare was an absolute KILLER! Most interesting to me was that, this was listed logically as a "cold weather" bowl, but many of the other bowls, including a couple in Florida, had absolutely MISERABLE weather.. Easier to sit thru cold than it is thru a downpour (like the 1st GMAC game a few years back)... and Memphis had an awfully cold day too.

[musicman2343]

Out of curiousity, did they>>>> mention that entire BGSU band was unable to attend...and, did they run our entry onto the field on the video board, as you'd indicated they were hopefully going to do?

Yes and yes. They did play the video of the whole band on the video board which was actually better than I thought it would be. Instead of just the down-field of the fight song, it was the fight song dubbed over various video clips throughout the entire season showing the full size of the band. Both for pregame and halftime, it was said, "The seniors and leadership representing the Falcon Marching Band present etc...." Also, during the "Battle of the Bands" before the game, it was said that we numbered 238 this year although only 70 of us were able to attend. The halftime show with the 70 of us was pretty much amazing and I look forward to seeing it! Hopefully we get it on youtube soon!